Dammit Pinkman!
by archerdix0n
Summary: Beth gets startled by a noise in the kitchen. [Prompt: "There was a heavy pause, and then she twisted around and - with a sharp shout - swung the tire iron clutched tightly in her fist."


With a jerk, Beth sat up in bed, panting heavily with her heart beating in her throat and her eyes scanning her bedroom frantically. She was startled by something, usually she didn't wake up so suddenly like that and it certainly wasn't from the dream she was having; thinking it was just her imagination running rampant or her body playing tricks on her, Beth settled back down in her bed, squirming a bit to find a comfortable position.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep again, a loud noise came from her kitchen, followed by a muffled curse and footsteps. Bolting upright, Beth stared at her bedroom door with wide eyes. Logically, she thought it'd be her boyfriend, Jesse, but it was three in the morning and he had work, so he was at his place. Besides, he would've used the spare key that was in the plant next to the door and she didn't hear it open. Slithering out of her warm bed, as silently as she could, Beth went straight to her closet to her garage tools, mentally cursing herself for not listening to her dad and had brushed off his advice on buying a gun when she moved to Atlanta.

Grimacing, she decided to look into carrying a concealed weapon in the morning but for now, she had to chose between a wrench or a tire iron. Guessing she had to go for length, she went with the tire iron, gripping it tightly as she gently opened her bedroom door, eyes darting up and down her hallway. Holding the tire iron like a bat, she crept slowly towards the kitchen, noticing there was a light on inside and figured it was her desk lamp. Briefly wondering why the intruder didn't turn on the main light, she paused just outside the doorway, taking a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart.

That pause, it weighed heavily in the air and in her stomach, wishing beyond anything that she didn't have to kill anyone tonight. Then, with the courage she thought only her sister could possess, she turned around the corner with a sharp yell and raised the tire iron above her head, fully prepared to strike the piece of metal into someone's skull.

"Whoa, whoa! Beth, hold up! It's me, it's Jesse!" A familiar voice shouted over her own and broke through the self-defense fog in her mind; blinking her eyes a few times, she could clearly see it was, in fact, Jesse - standing in front of an open window with his hands up, staring at her with pleading eyes. Releasing the breath she was holding, Beth sharply brought her arms down and just gave him an incredulous look.

"What, you couldn't use the key? You had to break in through the window?" She asked, tossing her hands in the air after she set the tire iron on the counter. Jesse shifted on his feet, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as he avoided looking at her.

"I tried but the key was gone, I looked everywhere, I couldn't find it, so I went around and wedged the window open. Didn't want to go home," At his confession, Beth felt like she wanted to punch herself in the face. How could she have forgotten that Maggie drove up last week after she had a fight with Glenn? Beth had given Maggie her spare key because she had to work at the diner and wouldn't be home to let her in. Maggie had left before she could ask for her key back and Beth felt like the biggest bitch in the world for forgetting to tell Jesse about it.

"I am so sorry, honey, I forgot I gave the spare to my sister when she came up last week after she had a fight with her husband. She left before I could get it back and I won't be able to see her until the holidays," Beth said softly, stepping towards Jesse to give him a tight hug.

"Couldn't you just ask her to mail it back or something?" He asked, voice slightly muffled as he buried his face in her hair, the familiar smell already calming his wracked nerves.

"By the time it gets here, I would be there anyways. Remember, I used to live in the rural parts of Georgia, out in the boonies where only farmland is," She teased him, laying on her accent a bit thick because she knew how it affects him; Beth grinned at his conflicted groan.

"Babe, please no teasing tonight," Jesse whispered, body literally sagging against her hold; frowning, she brought her head back a bit and turned him towards the light, taking in the dark circles under his eyes and how drawn his face was - he was bone tired and Beth knew he had another nightmare. He had used to come to her place after he had one, seeking comfort in her Southern ways, but he's been having them less and less since they got together. She wanted to ask what had triggered them back but looking at his face again, she decided it could wait and began leading him towards her room.

"Well, then c'mon, Mister Pinkman, you're not sleeping on my kitchen floor," She smiled gently at him as she looked back over her shoulder, which only widened when he smiled back at her, his thumb making soothing circles on her knuckles. Beth had knew of his past and didn't judge him for it, making sure he knew how much she loved and cared about him - that the past was the past and there was nothing they could do to change it, they could only move forward and they would do it together.


End file.
